Playyards, also called play pens, have been available for several years. Foldable playyards of the knock-down variety are also common. The following prior art documents are illustrative of the prior art considered relevant to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,716 to Kohus (hereinafter referred to as "the Kohus patent") discloses a portable playyard comprising a frame assembly and a fabric enclosure. The frame assembly comprises lower and upper corner rail connecting members, vertical corner rails, a pair of pivotally connected floor support rails between each set of lower corner rail connecting members, and a pair of pivotally connected upper side rail members between each set of upper corner rail connecting members. A frame lock is mounted on ends of the upper side rails to hold the side rails in a straight in-line mode or, upon rotation, allows the side rails to pivot downwardly. Meshing hinge gears in each frame lock form a single pivot point for the two upper side rail ends held by the frame lock. The frame assembly is folded to a compact unit by initially rotating the frame locks and then folding the assembly. The frame assembly is capable of holding the fabric enclosure so as to provide a playyard. The Kohus patent is incorporated by reference herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,948 to Mariol (hereinafter referred to as "the Mariol patent") discloses a portable, foldable playyard comprising Y-shaped lower corner rail connecting members 28; upper rail connecting members 54; vertical corner support rails 18; pivotally connected floor side rails 22 and pivotally connected upper side rails. The sides of the playyard and the bottom of the frame are covered with a fabric assembly 50. The fabric assemble 50 is of an essentially box-like construction without a top. Four vertical panels are connected to a single horizontal panel. The vertical panels are each coupled to the floor side rails 22 and then stitched to the single horizontal panel. Thus, the floor side rails are always being pulled upwardly because of their direct connection to the vertical panels. In the worst case scenario, this upward pressure could cause the crib of the 948 patent to fold with the child in the crib. As stated in the specification of the Mariol patent itself, "[t]his configuration facilitates the raising of the hinges of the lower support upon lifting of [a] tab . . . which is stitched to the center of the upper surface of [horizontal] panel 114." Also, the folding of the vertical panels around the rails 22 and subsequent stitching of the vertical panels to the horizontal panel is an involved, complicated and expensive step. Moreover, the Mariol playyard does not include a double fabric layer at the bottom for increased support, sturdiness and stability. The Mariol patent is incorporated by reference herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,025 also to Mariol describes a foldable playyard comprising a central hub, pivotally attached floor support legs, and upper side rails which are pivotally attached together in a midpoint and to upper shoulder brackets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,437 to Dillner et al. discloses a foldable playyard comprising an upper rectangular form cooperating with vertical corner rails and a lower support formed of a spider-like array of rails positionable in a horizontal plane. The lower support includes a central hub for raising the lower rails upwardly while collapsing the rails of the upper support downwardly to fold the playyard. A fabric assembly is also included with four vertical side panels and a lower horizontal floor panel. The lower horizontal floor panel is held in position solely by the vertical panels and a rigid removable floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,443 to Ralick discloses a foldable playyard with upper and lower horizontal rails in a rectangular configuration along with vertical corner rails. Ralick utilizes two separate fabric webs in a U-shaped configuration. The two webs are at right angles to each other and form a double fabric at the bottom. However, neither of Ralick's bottom fabric layers are attached to the lower horizontal rails. Also, neither of Ralick's bottom fabric layers are joined to all the vertical fabric panels. Furthermore, Ralick's two bottom fabric layers are not separated by an air-gap, being immediately adjacent to and touching each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,054 to Morse discloses a foldable crib with upper and lower rectangular supports with independent side panels and a completely separate lower horizontal floor panel. However, in Morse, hinges of the frame are exposed, thereby creating a safety hazard for a child within the crib or a parent raising or lowering the crib. Additionally, replacing damaged or worn fabric panels would be expensive and involved.
While the prior art discloses various features in foldable playyards, none discloses a lower horizontal support structure which avoids the accidental folding of the playyard with the child in the playyard. Further, none disclose a fabric floor assembly comprising three separate panels, two of which are fully secured peripherally to the frame assembly for a sturdier bottom/floor. Moreover, none of the prior art documents disclose a double fabric layer at the bottom of the playyard, with the two bottom layers purposely separated from each other so as to create an air-gap therebetween to serve as a natural "shock-absorber" for a child jumping up and down in the playyard. Also, none of the prior art references discloses a double layer fabric floor assembly, with one layer connected to all the vertical panels and the second layer attached to the lower horizontal supports. All of the above features missing from the prior art, are incorporated in the playyard of the present invention.